Black Bear Pass 2023
Vložit
- čas přidán 1. 08. 2023
- Black Bear Pass has been impassable this season, up till now. No 4 wheeled vehicles have been over it this year. I had to ride across a snowdrift to be able to do it on my bike. As usual, it's a challenge.
Great job, you’re a smart rider!
Responses to this video have ranged from "you're insane" to "you're a good rider" . . .
Not sure where that all leaves me, but I had fun on this ride. And didn't fall off the edge. So all good.
Thank you so much for leaving it raw. It’s so much more informative. I appreciate you.
Super impressive you accomplished this solo , weather did not cooperate when we tried , it was raining and we did not make it very far at all. Well done slaying this dragon , this video was awesome
Thank you for posting this. I think I saw you up there at the actual pass one day. I have a black Jeep and a fat beagle.
Great video. I know this would've been over my head. Thanks for showing me what i missed. 😊
Awesome. We ran Imogene that day, I'm actually the Xterra you pass at 51:50, we were just on our way up to check out the falls!
Nice. I did Imogene right after this too. Some of the best places on earth to visit.
Great footage of the steps and upper switch backs! Hearing the bike picking up speed on those steep sections between the switch backs and the gravel crunching under the tires was giving me serious flash backs! We walked our bikes around the first tight right hander after crossing the water, but were able to ride the rest. My first run was on a KLR 650 and later on a KTM 530 EXC. It was MUCH better on the 530! It was crowded both times and people would just walk right out in front of us! Just before the start of the steps I had some sweater wearing Yuppie step right out in front of me and I tucked the front end on loose gravel trying to stop before hitting him. Then he and his friends just stood around watching rather than offering to help me get the bike up... Thankfully, the KTM is WAY easier to pickup than the KLR!
That trail looks narrower in your video than any others I’ve seen. Sure glad it was closed when I was up there the week before you.
Shortly after I went over, there was a big deal because a bunch of people in jeeps dug out the snow drift, went all the way over, and one of them got stuck with a wheel over the edge and had to be rescued.
No way, for any amount of money, I'd do it in a 4-wheeler.
💪🏻 hell ya!
We're from Missouri and just was out there last week, had to cut out trip short due to my motorcycle catching on fire and burning my hand. I saw your older videos from Hallett, was like hellll yeah brother. Lol. We're Halletteers as well😊
Cheers, safe riding
Yes I've been to Hallett many times over the years. Great track :)
Dude, you have got a pair!!!! That was a great video!
Incredible! Thank you for taking the time to film and post. And glad you are safe.
You're welcome, and thank you.
TBH, watching this video from 29:00 to 31:30 makes me tense up every time I see it. I think it was mentally easier to do it than to watch it.
I did it on my XR650 in 2012, I’d never want to do it in a 4 wheel myself.
I hammered this last year on my honda 450 RL. loved it
Hate to see someone doing that alone. I'm glad it worked out for you. Great job.
Thanks. I was well aware of the risks, so I was extra careful.
Great job going down the pass! back in the early 70s you could run up the pass out of Telluride. I was a kid and my cousin took us up it in a 1969 Chevy Blazer. I have run it myself 2 times myself with a 76 Dodge shortbed PU and with a Jeep a few years ago. Yeah I'm an old fart!
Que hermosa travesia y que coraje.. 😮 saludos desde cordoba capital Argentina.🇦🇷
Gracias, amigo. Suerte en sus viajes.
Let me just say, you are a brave MFer. You were all alone on the trail. If you screwed up you were dead. You were super smart to push it down the Steps since you were alone. Excellent video.
Kind of surprised they don’t go up there and plow/shovel the late spring/summer drifts. Lots of tourist dollars if the pass is clear
I thought I wanted to ride BBP, but after watching this it's a HARD NO for me. Thanks for helping me solve that issue.
There are very good views from the top of Imogene, and it's not nearly as dangerous as this.
Great job 👏
I know it unnerving but driving the staircase down on the left side is way way smoother, but scary as hell!
Hey Patrick, just stumbled on your blog. What a great video, great area to ride & also great riding skills on your part. A lot of times a video doesnt do the angle of the terrain justice. Have ridden many years in Baja , in many tough situation but I dont know if I would enjoy myself on this ride.would really not want to go up the down section for sure. Have subscribe to your blog and will follow. stay safe and ride on
Hi Jeff. Thanks. There are many better riders than me; I was scared :)
My wife and I are considering spending the winter in Baja. I don't know anything about the motorcycling down there, but have heard many good things.
There's a ton of other great riding in the San Juans (all around Silverton, Ouray, Telluride, Lake City) besides BBP. 5 or 6 other big passes, a wide variety of riding levels, loads of amazing views. Definitely worth a couple of weeks. We stayed 4 weeks, with 2 weeks off work and riding all day. It was great. Silverton is the nicest place to stay, IMO. Low key, down to earth, good food, nice people, not too crowded (except when the train comes in).
Likewise, ride safe and have fun.
Nice video!
Never had a adventure bike, always wanted one… nothing better than hitting the back road on my dirt bike
Well done.
Balls, Brakes & a KTM is all you need, prefer MTB, i guess is can't get up there (to scary 4 me) Great video Patrick. Greetings Eric from Belgium
Seems like it would be hard to enjoy the scenery since so much focus is needed to navigate it safely. What a beautiful problem to have. 😉
If you aren't trying to go too fast, it's easier to enjoy the scenery. It's one of the most beautiful places to ride in the US
Amazing views and pass, looks tricky. 31:26 very wise to do the turn with the motorbike off
Honestly, try this with an 790 or a Tenere, good luck backing it up the hill :D
I haven't been over black bear pass since the 80s . Lol and I was a teenager. I'm supposed to go over it next year . Wow has it changed. Not going to lie it's going to be a challenge. The way it looks you couldn't get a 4x4 over it anymore , well I wouldn't try . My bike will handle it with no trouble, now can I lol. I'll give it a shot . Your video was great and I now see what I'm up against. Thanks for showing it . Maybe one day we can ride together someplace. Forgot to tell you I ride a 2023 Honda XR650L .
For anyone wanting to know when he encounters snow. At 7:02, 7:48, 8:32, 10:04. The snow at 8:32 is still pretty deep.
Your videos are captivating, and your journeys are inspiring! 🌄 Could you discuss your strategies for managing fatigue and staying fit during those extensive motorcycle rides? Exciting topic!
Big subject. Basically, eliminate discomfort and drink lots of water. You can do almost anything for half an hour, but the slightest discomfort will become much harder to deal with after 8-10 hours of riding. And dehydration is a huge factor. The wind is pulling moisture out of your body constantly. I keep a water bladder in my tank bag at all times and drink frequently. Dehydration causes all kinds of problems, from discomfort to fatigue to lack of mental acuity.
The last thing, for long rides, is this: it's not how fast you go, it's how fast you stop. The serious long distance riders plan out every little detail and action during a stop. Glove is off before they get to the pump, credit card is in a sleeve pocket, easy to get to, don't take off your helmet, don't get off your bike unless you have to go use the bathroom, always point your bike toward an easy exit before you park it, etc etc. There are many tiny details that sum up to saved minutes.
Oh, and let's not forget the most important thing: enjoy the ride :)
I also have a 300 xc-w
What size motorcycle you ridin?
Mutha fucka. By far the best vidio I've ever seen for Black Bear Pass. Don't think I'll be doing it on my V-Stom.
People have done it but I wouldn't. Not that it's impossible, just not very fun.
What about t7?
I thought that Blackbear was a one way trail ?
it is once you reach a certain section. You can't ride up it from town at all!!
Back in the day we used to go up and down it all the time on dirt bikes then 4wheelers started wrecking and the usfs made it one way there was talk that they were going close it completely
Don’t blame ya for walking your scoot in that
Didn’t see the snow, where was it ?
Discretion is the better part of valor! Walking the bike down The Steps is likely what I'd do.
Yeah even if there had been other 4X4s up there I would have risked it, but there was nobody around and nobody coming through, so I was extra careful. Would have been bad news if I'd gotten hurt enough to not keep riding. Helicopter time.
Sorry if I missed it, but what bike are you on with what mods?
'21 KTM 500 EXC-f.
Basically set up for light ADV riding. Rack, seat, tank, hand guards, GPS mount.
Why u didn't use engine brake effect😮?
I did. A lot. Not sure what would give you the idea I didn't. It's an integral part of this kind of riding. Clutch modulation and engine power/braking are in constant flux.
If they don't do anything this year to clear it, next year will be even more work. I wonder if this is deliberate to appease Telluride...
Agree. It will only get worse. As to motives, I have no idea.
Because of the amount of snowfall this year, there were an abundance of road and bridge needs. So, limited resources.
Would you do this with a Yamaha 700 tenere?
I'm going to, depends on your skill on the bike
Really depends on your skill level. Several hundred yard of the downhill portion before the water fall are sketchy as heck. I’ve ridden it on my KTM 450 EXC-F but I’d never take my T7 on this route. Check out the video on my channel from 2020 when I did it.
Thanks for the heads up. We’re heading to Ouray today. When did you take this video? It says you uploaded it 22 hours ago.
Video was shot on 8/28/23 from 550 up to the snow drift, then on 8/31/23 from the snowdrift down to Telluride.
@@Patrick_Cashman do you mean 7/28/23 and 7/31/23? It’s only 8/3/23 today.
@@austinchase5882yes, you’re right. July. Oops
@@Patrick_Cashman no worries. I just got back from Ouray and Black Bear was still closed, but we did it anyway in my 4 person Can Am Maverick X3. There is now only one spot of “impassible” snow. We had to drive around it on what appeared to be a service road out to a geo-marker. It circled us back beyond the snow and the rest of the drive was great :)
@@austinchase5882 And you still can't figure out why stuff gets permanently shut down can you? Great job!
What are you riding?
'21 KTM 500 EXC-f 6 days
Are you running the stock tires
No. I had Goldentire something on it when I bought it (used, from a guy in Texas). I'll probably get Dunlop D606 or D604 next. Or the Tusk tires from Rocky Mountain ATV. I don't care much at all about what tires I run. I did 2 BDRs on a 17 yr old front tire that was on my KLX400 when I got it. No issues. Did Black Bear on that one too.
I also do a lot of street riding. Around 100,000 miles over the last 12 years. I run a car tire on my FJR. It has 14000 on it now. Still plenty of life. I rode that tire to Alaska and back - 7000 miles in one trip. No regular moto tire can do that, at least not how I ride (throttle, high speeds at times, lots of twisty roads). I also rode my KTM 1290 Super Duke to Alaska. Put a car tire on it for that trip too. Only got 8000 out of it on that bike - lots more torque, and I romped on that thing hard, flogged the throttle every chance I got. I had a group of serious track riders try to tell me I couldn't keep up with them on the twisties in NW Arkansas. lol I was waiting for them several times throughout the day. My bottom line is that any modern tire that's basically designed for the application will work fine.
So I run whatever. They all slide. I roll with it.
MT-21 front and Tusk Dsport rear is what I run on my 450 Six Days and DRZ
t700 y/n ?:)
Depends 100% on your skill level. The bike will certainly do it. Not as easily as a light DS (both of the bikes I've done it on are less than 310lb) but possible.
Will you have fun and be safe doing it? Only you can decide that.
Where'd your widscreen go?
It's in my garage.
@@Patrick_Cashman I see. I just wondered because it was there at 4:35 but gone at 4:38.
It’s 500 ktm six days mines a 2023
Yes, '21 500 EXC-f 6 days. Great bike.
Time to gear down your 500 for these types of steep descents. It would be much easier to control your speed downhill.
When did you ride this
7/31/23
It wasn't officially open yet. A bunch of folks (like you) jumped the gun, ended up getting stuck and into a rescue situation. This stupidity ended up causing the trail to remain closed for the whole season.
Glad you made it over in one piece. Probably not the wisest decision you've ever made, given that in case of emergency, you'd have been completely screwed. It would have taken a helicopter to get you out.
That’s why I bypassed/walked down the steps. Otherwise it was not difficult. Just narrow in some places.
@@Patrick_Cashman I’m very risk averse in my mid 50s, but may well have done the same thing 20 years ago. Keep the shiny side up!
@@DuaneGreen I'm 54, but apparently I'm not risk averse ;)
I watched all of this with my husband. He plans to ride this pass. This is something I will likely never do. You are certainly a skilled rider. Thanks for sharing the video. -Jackie
….probably not the wisest or dumbest decision you’ve ever made. I know it wouldn’t be either of mine.😄
Black Bear Pass NEVER opened this year. Stop riding closed trails and roads.
I went in August, it was open. Probably saw 15 trucks and 10 bikes, no car went through the bit of snow that got on the path, they turned and went back to the start but it was nothing for the bikes and after the steps there were families hiking. I researched prior to avoid a ticket, it was definitely open the whole two weeks I was there
This picture frame format is unwatchable on a mobile device.
You must spend a lot on new shorts.😳🫣